tjhassecrets's Full Review: Singles Box [Box] by Blondie
In the 1960s, Blondie did not exist.
In the 1970s, Blondie was on the rise.
In the 1980s, Blondie was on top of the world, at least, until drugs threaten to ruin them forever.
So how do honor a band that was not only a great album band and a great singles band? Well, box sets. To date, the band has yet to put out an albums' or live box set, but in 2004, The Singles Box was dropped, possibly to coincide with the release of the band's eigth album The Curse. This collection takes note of the band their humble beginnings in the mid-70s up through 1982, a year that would be prove to be a tragic one. Blondie did not exist again until the late 90s, when a slightly smaller version released a bomb on the music charts-- Maria from 1999's No Exit would go on to become one of the most successful songs of their entire career. So, why isn't it here? Well, I think a very simple explanation is that it was already available on maxi single. The fifteen singles included in this compact little parcel are exact recreations of the original 45"s. All the art has been restored and printed on cardboard sleeves that wax vinyl nostalgia. Each sleeve is packaged in chronological order inside a very small box that opens and closes like an old vinyl case. The packaging design is very sleek, drawing strong inspiration from 1978's breakthrough album Parallel Lines. The Music
Let's get right to it-- this is a CD representation of Blondie's early singles work. So, how does it sound? How is the tracklist? What's the point? Well, the music is, of course, stellar. Based solely on the music, this release deserves a strong five stars for being groundbreaking, futuristic, and retro all at the same time. Punkier stuff like Rip Her to Shreds will please purist fans, while classics like Sunday Girl and Heart of Glass are also represented. It is important to note that this set is pure Blondie, so don't go looking for Debbie's solo work like French Kissin' or Rush Rush.
In order, the CDs you get are as follows, with the A-side in bold. The first two in the box can be seen more as EPs.
Rip Her To Shreds/In the Flesh/X-Offender (EP) Denis/Contact in the Red Square/Kung Fu Girls I'm Always Touched By Your Presence Dear/Poets Problem/Detroit 442 Picture This/Fade Away and Radiate Hanging on the Telephone/Will Anything Happen? Heart of Glass/Rifle Range/12" Mix/Instrumental Sunday Girl/I Know But I Don't Know/French Version Dreaming/Sound Asleep Union City Blue/Living in the Real World Atomic/Die Young Stay Pretty/Heroes (live) Call Me/Instrumental/Spanish Version/12" Mix/12" Mix Instrumental The Tide is High/Stuzie and Jeffrey Rapture/Walk Like Me/Live It Up (Remix)/Rapture (Remix) Island of Lost Souls/Dragonfly War Child/Little Caesar/War Child (Extended)
So, right off the bat, you can see some amazing Blondie material. Everything from punk to disco to rap to reggae all in one box. Aside from the terrible Little Caesar, just about every song on this list is an absolute gem. Personally, I was most looking forward to finally hearing Call Me in Spanish-- love it. This box set does have some things wrong with it, though. For starters, the price tag is irksome. 50 dollars American is way too much for this collection, no matter how nicely packaged. You can get all of these A-sides on Greatest Hits (Sight + Sound), so this isn't really a great gift idea for a basic Blondie fan. That said, you can find a copy for around 20 bucks-- I bought mine sealed for 15. I'd get this for a Blondie collector or maybe someone who has just discovered Blondie (and doesn't own their Greatest Hits CDs).
Second issue is the glaring omission of One Way or Another, which is by and large a signature Blondie tune. I can understand the band wanting to keep the packaging slim, compact, and even and all, but really? They chose to leave this song out of the box set? For 50 dollars retail, I'd expect it to be included. It may not be one of my favorites, but it's a song that everyone knows them for. That isn't to say that there are no musical perks. Aside from classic Blondie, you get quite a few fun b-sides like Suzie and Jeffery, as well as live tracks, remixes, and an amazing all-French version of Sunday Girl. I also really like that War Child was included, even if the song was a bit of a flop.
Big fans of Blondie will notice that they already own 99% of this collection if they have the newly remastered editions of the catalogue. If you buy CDs solely for the music, you might as well move along because they isn't much that's brand new. If you're a collector, then trust me: you can not live without The Singles Box. It is a beautiful box set with a genius design and tons of great artwork. And how many of us have 45"s with terrible creases and record rings? Well, now we can enjoy 45"s without the bull.
Why buy The Singles Box? Mainly because it's a beautiful box set with some cool mixes and demos. Great for collectors.
Why avoid The Singles Box? Omits some songs and can be seen as a glorified Greatest Hits collection. Oh, and the Hanging on the Telephone artwork is abysmal.
The BLONDIE Singles Box features the influential punk/new wave band s top hits and B-sides, from Rip Her To Shreds to Warchild. The flip-top box, pack...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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